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Texas Tech basketball: The all-time Red Raider team from West Texas

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 20: Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot "Raider Red" fires up the crowd before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Iowa State Cyclones on February 20, 2017 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Iowa State defeated Texas Tech 82-80 in overtime.(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 20: Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot "Raider Red" fires up the crowd before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Iowa State Cyclones on February 20, 2017 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Iowa State defeated Texas Tech 82-80 in overtime.(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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Texas Tech Red Raiders cheerleaders stand on the court. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Texas Tech Red Raiders cheerleaders stand on the court. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

The bench consists of some all-time greats from the early years of the program

Back before the era of national and even international recruiting was possible, Texas Tech got the vast majority of its talent from close to home.  That made sense as it was easier to travel to nearby locales to evaluate players in person in times when game film and internet videos were years from coming into existence.  Also, at that time, Tech was not spending millions on player recruitment as is the case today.

Thus, you are going to find that the bench for the all-time West Texas team is comprised of greats from the 1950s and 60s.  And we begin with a name that was associated with the program long into the 21st century, Gerald Myers.

Born in Borger, he was not only a standout player for Tech but he went on become the program’s all-time winningest head coach and then the university’s athletics director.  But it is his playing career that has him on this list.  Myers was Tech’s first-ever All-Southwest Conference player in any sport when he earned that honor as a senior in 1959.

Former walkon from Perryton, Del Ray Mounts, also makes the team.  The undersized guard averaged 18.4 points per game over his final three seasons, including 19.9 as a senior in 1962.

Harrold Denney from Amarillo played for Tech from 1963-65 and averaged just over 16 points and 8 rebounds per game.  Despite being a 6-foot-8 center and playing against larger interior players, he was able to average 18 points per game as a senior.

Big Spring’s Eugene Carpenter was also a 6-foot-8 interior presence for the Red Raiders.  Averaging 13.8 points per game over his career, he helped Tech win the Border Conference title in 1954, 1955, and 1956.

Finally, we come to Leon Hill from Sudan.  Playing center at just 6-foot-6, he was drafted to the NBA by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 8th round of the 1959 NBA Draft after averaging 15.1 points per game in his Red Raider career.

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